All To Survive
by Kyizi
Summary: Two small groups of wrestlers are struggling to survive. When Lita's visions start to take a scary turn, can her friends help her...and themselves?
1. Prologue

All To Survive  
By Kyizi

**Disclaimer: **All characters belong to the WWE, the story is mine.  
  
**Rating:** PG-13  
  
**Summary:** When disaster strikes can the survivors live in a desolate world without the people they've lost?  
  
**Spoilers: **Various. There won't be anything major, but this was started a long time ago, so the spoilers will be for around 2000/2001/2002, not really spoilers anymore. Other than that this is obviously completely AU. 

**Timeline: **The main change to timeline is that Ivory never left and she was drafted to Smackdown! And Lita wasn't injured. The roster split did happen, hence the two different settings.  
  
**Feedback:** Always appreciated  
  
**E-mail:** kyizifanfic hotmail . com

**Yahoo! Group:** KyiziFic

**Notes: **As I mentioned, this was started a long time ago, so if I get anything wrong, just go with it! 

xxxxx  
  
**Prologue**  
  
xxxxx  
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No one had seen it coming; no one had suspected that it could ever happen, not even in their wildest dreams…or nightmares. Everything that was normal no longer existed, except in the backs of their minds, in that wild and sacred place that invaded their dreams at night, taunting them with a better life.  
  
Time had stood still in a stony silence, invaded only by that sound. No one could miss that noise, the eerie whine, like the call of a giant firework gone wrong. Then the screaming began.

The Titantron had changed, feeding the news through the speakers and the truth of the firework making it's way towards them was known. In an instant the world had erupted in chaos. People were running for their lives, no thought to those around them as the large crowds began to crush, bringing on death that little bit early.  
  
Screams echoed upon screams until they were simply a background noise to a horrific melody, continuing the crescendo to its inevitable finalé of death and destruction. Everything had happened so fast but had still seemed to move in slow motion, as if someone watching from above had slowed time, just to prolong those last moments. Families had huddled together and people had prayed…but it had all come to an end. It's said that people having a heart attack will experience an impending sense of doom, but no one talks of those sitting in their huddled masses awaiting their inevitable death…because no one can explain how they feel. No one survives. xxxxx  
  
**End Prologue**  
  
xxxxx 


	2. Part One

All To Survive  
By Kyizi

**Disclaimer: **All characters belong to the WWE, the story is mine.  
  
**Rating:**  PG-13  
  
**Summary:** When disaster strikes can the survivors live in a desolate world without the people they've lost?  
  
**Spoilers: **Various. There won't be anything major, but this was started a long time ago, so the spoilers will be for around 2000/2001/2002, not really spoilers anymore. Other than that this is obviously completely AU.

**Timeline: **The main change to timeline is that Ivory never left and she was drafted to Smackdown! And Lita wasn't injured. The roster split did happen, hence the two different settings.  
  
**Feedback:** Always appreciated  
  
**E-mail:**

**Yahoo! Group:**

**Notes: **As I mentioned, this was started a long time ago, so if I get anything wrong, let me know!

xxxxx  
  
**Part One**  
  
xxxxx

She hugged her legs, closing here eyes and burying her head in her knees, waiting. Waiting until the noise of scampering feet faded away. The sound of manic laughter was echoing eerily through the air as she held her breath, the stench finally becoming too much. After a few moments silence, she slowly allowed herself to uncurl, creeping forward cautiously, not allowing herself the luxury of standing.

The rubble to her left creaked a little and she stopped, hoping that it would hold a little longer, at least until she was out of the danger path. They had known that it would fall soon, Jeff had warned her to stay away, but it was the path with the least bodies, the one she felt safest, at least in the humane sense.

She looked up at the darkening sky, the tinge of yellow fading quickly and she knew she had to get out of harms way before _They_ found her. She made her way quickly around the edge of the building, the broken city opening out before her. For as far as the eye could see there was rubble. Masses of broken stone upon stone, covering up body upon body. There were skeleton trees everywhere, trees that seemed to have life in the bitter, painful wind; trees that seemed to moan in agony at the world surrounding them. But they were dead. Everything was dead.

At first, they had tried to help, had tried to save everyone they could, but it didn't take them long to realise that there wasn't anyone to save. All they had succeeded in doing was giving themselves more bodies to look at, more graves to dig until it was too painful to even think about going on. It was the children that shook her the most, the small bodies battered and broken, some distorted in such a way that they looked more like little goblins than children. And the toys; it seemed silly that something as simple as a child's teddy, a Barbie doll or a toy car could reduce her to tears, but it did. It was a painful reminder of everything that had been lost. Of all the young lives that had been lost. She often wished she could give up her life to save at least one of theirs, but then she looked at what was left of their world and she knew she wouldn't wish it on anyone, least of all a child.

There was a noise behind her; a sharp scuttling and she froze, waiting to see if it repeated itself. It did and it wasn't alone. Refusing to let her panic overwhelm her, she darted to the nearest pile of rubble, quickly working her way beneath it, refusing to let the stench make her feel ill. She knew what was under the stones with her but she also knew that the smell of rotting flesh was the only thing that would mask her from _Them._

She began to take quick, shallow breaths through her mouth, refusing to turn to her left. Her arm had brushed on something and she wouldn't let herself see it. Wouldn't let herself try to imagine who they had been, what life they had lived. Had they had a family? Children? A house? Had they been happy with their life? She couldn't do it to herself. Not again.

The scuttling came so close she could see movement next to the small gap by her head. She had closed it as much as she could, but any further and she would have trapped herself in. She'd done that before and the memories were all too vivid. Feeling herself begin to panic she forced her mind to a happier time, tried to recall some fond memories of her life before The Burning. It didn't help. All she wanted to do when she recalled those faces was cry. They were gone, they were all gone; all but the four of them, and Lita had never felt so alone.

xxxxx

End of Part 1 

xxxxx****


	3. Part Two

All To Survive  
By Kyizi

**Disclaimer: **All characters belong to the WWE, the story is mine.  
  
**Rating:**  PG-13  
  
**Summary:** When disaster strikes can the survivors live in a desolate world without the people they've lost?  
  
**Spoilers: **Various. There won't be anything major, but this was started a long time ago, so the spoilers will be for around 2000/2001/2002, not really spoilers anymore. Other than that this is obviously completely AU.

**Timeline: **The main change to timeline is that Ivory never left and she was drafted to Smackdown! And Lita wasn't injured. The roster split did happen, hence the two different settings.  
  
**Feedback:** Always appreciated  
  
**E-mail:**

**Yahoo! Group:**

xxxxx  
  
**Part Two**  
  
xxxxx  
_  
  
_

She gently rubbed her eyes, the gentle light not helping her see as clearly as she would have liked. The room around her was dark and dank and she didn't like it one bit. She had grown accustomed, rather painfully so, to the world she now found herself in, but that did not make it any easier to live with. She had resisted at first, resisted so much that she had cried and screamed her throat raw. Her eyes had been puffy for weeks and she had had nothing to comfort her, nothing at all.

She glanced at the people around her, noting that Shane had yet to return. The thought filled her with fear. She hated it when any of them were _up there_, but more so when it was Shane or Shannon. She had let no one in, no one knew her, but somehow, those two had made a few dents in her Armour, cracks even. She trusted them more so than the others, with no explanation as to why, other than she could no longer see their youth in their eyes. They had all aged so much and the innocence, in Shannon at least, was gone. She hated that.

"Steph, you okay?"

She turned to the young man she had been thinking of and nodded. She no longer smiled, no one did. "I'm fine, Shannon. Just thinking."

Shannon nodded. "He'll come back, you know he will."

"I know."

She glanced over at Edge, who didn't seem phased by anything. Despite the fact that she had been everyone's boss before The Burning, she was more than happy ro hand responsibility of the group over to the solemn man. Solemn. She had never thought that word would ever be used to describe Edge. He had always been such a happy, determined and playful man that it didn't seem right, or fair, that he had been forced to give that up. She was still in charge to an extent, but Edge was the one they all listened to when he spoke and it really didn't bother her. She needed someone to lean on just as much as the others did.

There was a loud thump above them and they all jumped. A moment later, Ivory jumped down the large hole in the ceiling. "Shane's been caught," she said quickly, her breathing erratic. "They've trapped him in the main ruins."

Edge nodded and Steph forced herself to remain calm. Shannon looked terrified, but he kept it to himself and Steph was both happy and upset to see how quickly he was able to school his face; happy because she was scared enough on her own and upset because it was one more piece of innocence slowly being driven out of the young man.

"Okay," Edge said, motioning them all into a circle. "Shannon, you'll stay here to protect the hold. I want no one but us getting back in. You're a good shot with that thing," he said, motioning the makeshift bow leaning against Shannon's part of the wall. "Put it to good use."

"Is Matt still standing guard?"

"No, he's behind the ruins, the South end. Shane's panicking, he's trying to get some sort of message to him."

Edge swore under his breath. "Okay, Ivory, you get to Matt. Take the pass under the ruins of the post office. Steph, you and I are going to go head on at the ruins. I want you up in the old church covering my back. Everyone understand?"

There was a consensus of nods and they quickly set about preparing the rescue. Steph was terrified but she hoped that it did not show on her face. There were only six of them against all of _Them_. She only hoped that it would be enough.

xxxxx

End of Part Two 

xxxxx

I will be doing a poll on KyiziFic to decide the pairings for this one. But not until after I've introduced you to everyone in Lita's group! ;)


	4. Part Three

**All To Survive  
By Kyizi**

**Disclaimer: **All characters belong to the WWE, the story is mine.

**Rating:** PG-13

****

**Summary:** When disaster strikes can the survivors live in a desolate world without the people they've lost?

****

**Spoilers: **Various. There won't be anything major, but this was started a long time ago, so the spoilers will be for around 2000/2001/2002, not really spoilers anymore. Other than that this is obviously completely AU.

**Timeline: **The main change to timeline is that Ivory never left and she was drafted to Smackdown! And Lita wasn't injured. The roster split did happen, hence the two different settings. For now.

**Feedback:** Always appreciated

****

**E-mail:** kyizifanfic hotmail. com

**Yahoo! Group:** KyiziFic****

**Note:** I suddenly realised that there may have been a little bit of confusion in the previous part and figured I should make it clear. Shane is Shane Helms/Hurricane, not Shane McMahon! I know his real name is actually Gregory (isn't it?), but he used Shane Helms as his alter-ego a while back, so this is what name I'm using for him.

xxxxx  
  
**Part Three**

xxxxx  
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"Where is she?" Christian demanded angrily. "She should be back by now." He was pacing back and forth, the rotting floorboards creaking noisily with every movement. "She should be back by now."

"She'll be fine. Lita's always fine."

"Yeah, like she was fine when she almost got caught in the old library? Like she was fine when she nearly got crushed under that bridge? Like-"

"That was your fault!" Jeff cried, jumping to his feet and planting himself in Christian's path. The anger on his face was so strong that Christian jumped back a little. "We've never blamed you for it," he continued in a low voice, "so don't you dare blame her."

Christian nodded. He closed his eyes for a moment and rubbed at his eyes. "I'm worried."

"I know you are, but she'll be fine. Lita's always fine."

It had become Jeff's mantra whenever Lita failed to show up on time. Not that failing to show up at the appropriate time was something that only happened to Lita, but, being the only real friend Jeff had left, Christian wasn't surprised that he worried more for her. The same was true of Lita whenever Jeff was missing.

They stuck together as a group for the most part, but whatever small hovel they managed to claim as their own when they moved on was always harder to keep than the food they were forced to steal. Three remained behind to guard their beds and one went out to find the food. Christian was not alone in wishing that Lita would always remain behind and let them take turns in going out alone, but she refused to be treated any different than the rest of the group just because she was the only female. Christian only hoped that she was never caught, because, whether she wanted special treatment or not, women were most definitely treated differently when captured by _Them_. It was something he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy and Lita had quickly become more than that since the disaster had happened. He hadn't had close friends in a long time. It felt nice.

He placed a hand on Jeff's shoulder and nodded. Lita would come back. She had to come back because the group would fall apart without her.

"Damn it!" The curse was followed by a loud crash and Jeff and Christian jumped, swiveling to look at the large hole that now adorned their wall and the blonde man with his fist in it.

They looked at each other, not quite sure what to say. It was true that Lita had been gone a long time, but neither had expected such an outburst. Not from the one member of their group that seemed to care for no one.

Another sudden movement caught their eyes as the man walked to the exit. "Keep watch," he said and pulled back the crumbling dresser that blocked their door.

"Where are you going?" Christian questioned as he and Jeff followed to the doorway.

The man turned and looked at them with hard eyes. "To get Lita."

xxxxx

The noises were completely surrounding her now and she had to force herself not to panic. There was an eerie whine, a sort of nature call to alert others to the hunt and she felt tears stringing in her eyes at the thought of what they would do to her when they finally found her.

_I will not break. They will not break me_. She repeated it to herself over and over. She had seen the after effects before; the women they had left for dead, begging, battered and broken in the ruins that covered what had once been their civilization. It had cut into her heart, but she would not allow that to happen to her. Her friends would not find her in that state, even if she had to kill herself first to avoid it.

A loud bang echoed suddenly through the air, reverberating around her in the enclosed ruins she had sheltered under. Part of the building shook before pain lanced through her right leg as it began to fall. She jumped and her hand brushed against the one thing she had been avoiding thinking about. Her fingers got caught in course hair as she tried to pull her hands away. She tugged again, bile rising in her throat as her pain subsided and visions filled her mind.

Was he a doctor? Was she a Lawyer? Was he happy? Was she content? Was she a mother? Did he have a family? Did they see it coming?

By the time she had freed her hand, tears were coursing down her face as she bit back harsh sobs. Visions filled he mind stronger than before and she knew that it had been a man. He had long brown hair, striking blue eyes and he had been happy. He had a bright yellow electric guitar and a five year old daughter called Melissa that adored him. She lived with her mother in the next state. He hadn't seen her before he died.

She no longer questioned how she knew these things. She did. Since the disaster they had only grown in strength and she hated it. Hated that she could see what had been and what could have been.

Melissa would have been an artist, struggling but happy. She would marry one of her father's friends, a man a lot older than her, but they would have been happy. Three children. A dog. A house in the country. Estranged from her parents for a long time but reunited through her battle against cancer. She would have won. She was-

"Lita."

The harsh voice jerked her from her vision and she swiped at her eyes as she glanced around her. There was a sliver of light to her left and she could see his outline encased with light. He was anything but an angel; cutting, quiet, severe, hard, but at that moment, he looked almost ethereal.

"M-my leg," she stammered and he nodded, working his way under and next to her.

"Grit your teeth."

She nodded. He was going to get her out. The fear subsided. There was something in his eyes that, whilst not warm or friendly, made her feel eternally safe.

She barely stopped herself from crying out as he pulled her leg free. It didn't feel broken, but the skin was likely slashed open and bruised. The pain caused her eyesight, such as it was in the dim light, to waver and she suddenly felt lightheaded.

He carefully dragged her out from her hiding place, quickly and efficiently. She didn't know how he had scared _Them _away, but she knew they would be back and in bigger numbers. He pulled her into his arms and she hissed as the cut at the back of her right calf rubbed against his shirtsleeve.

Looking up, she studied his face for a moment. He caught her gaze and she smiled slightly. "Thank you," she said softly. No one was supposed to break their group rules. No one was supposed to leave the other two alone in their chosen home, whatever it was at the time. But he had. He had saved her. "Thank you, Chris."

He nodded and, for a brief moment, there was a light in Chris Jericho's eyes that hadn't been there in a long time.

xxxxx

**End of Part Three**

xxxxx

Okay, there will be polls opening on both KyiziFic and Karen U's list, KarenFic, to decide on the pairings in this one. I know what I want for Lita, but I think I'll put it to the vote anyway!

Read, review and vote! Go on, you know you want to ;)


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